A sociological investigation of authority relations in the families of preschool children: case of Batman province

This study aims to examine the formation of intra-familial authority relations, the mechanisms of authority between parents and children, and children's relationship with and coping strategies for parental authority within a traditional structure and cultural context. The Raman Tribe in southeastern Turkey, representing a traditional societal structure, was selected as the research setting. The study examines the formation of authority relations within the family, the application of authority mechanisms, and children's relationship with and strategies for coping with authority and applies Pierre Bourdieu's theory of domination. The research was designed as a qualitative multiple case study. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, participant observation, and document analysis. In addition, original game- and activity-based data collection tools were developed and utilized to understand children's relationships with authority. The study group consists of five nuclear families that adhere to traditional cultural norms, which in turn influence their family dynamics. The collected data were analyzed using content analysis, and the perceptions and practices of family members regarding authority were analyzed based on Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, forms of capital, symbolic violence, and reproduction. The findings point out authority within the family is largely built on hierarchical and traditional structures, and it is legitimized primarily through cultural and symbolic capital. Parents establish an internalized structure of authority through norms and values without exerting direct pressure on their children. As a result, this shapes whether children consent to authority or resist it through specific strategies. Children's strategies for dealing with intra-familial authority include patterns such as negotiation, emotional manipulation, appealing to elders, bending the rules, and acceptance. Results show that children are not merely passive subjects in authority relations but active agents. The study demonstrates that authority relations within the family are not shaped solely by individual choices but operate within a complex system of domination formed by cultural structures, social norms, and intergenerational transmission. In this respect, the research offers an in-depth sociological perspective on how intra-familial authority is constructed and on the position of children within this process, drawing on Bourdieu's concepts. Keywords: Authority relations, domination theory, family sociology, preschool children, case study, Pierre Bourdieu